Keswick & Claire
by Peachy-Author
Summary: The story where Keswick finds love in his new partner, Claire. KeswickXOC chapter story! COMPLETE!
1. They Meet

(A/N: Okay, here's the first chapter of "Keswick & Claire". I think you know what's going to happen, so I'll start the chapter.)

It was a fine early autumn day in the city of Petropolis. The bad guys were causing trouble, but Dudley, Kitty, Bruce, and Katrina were able to stop them and throw 'em in jail. However, this story has to do with Keswick, and he's in the lab at T.U.F.F. right now. To paraphrase, we're going there! Come on!

We find Keswick exactly where I said he'd be: in the lab at T.U.F.F. At that moment, Keswick was busy labeling his inventions. But he's also kind of miffed right now.

He's over his fear of girls, but he's really unlucky when it comes to finding love, mainly because women don't seem to like him. The only way he got women to like him was when he used an invention that caused them to like a guy like him. The relationships that he got on his own were always ruined by his mom.

But not so long ago, his most recent girlfriend, Tammy the secretary (who liked him for saving her life), called off their relationship. However, she did assure Keswick that they could still be friends. Keswick accepted that, but it didn't make him feel any better. All he wanted was a girl that loved him enough to never leave him.

Keswick wondered why he couldn't find love. Most importantly, he wondered if his mom loved him enough to let him find the right girl. He felt like he'd never be loved.

"Why is it that every time I f-f-find love on my own, my mom has to go and ruin it? That's enough to force me to give up on l-l-love! But I want love! I j-j-just wish there was someone..." Keswick said to himself.

"Maybe someday I'll g-g-get lucky and find someone that Mom won't ruin my ch-ch-chances with." Keswick said with a sigh. He always hoped that he would be able to find someone, anyone, who could love him, regardless of his mom, and without an invention.

Anyway, Keswick was working so intently (and lost in thought about love), he didn't even notice when the Chief showed up at the entrance to the lab.

"Keswick!" the Chief shouted.

Keswick was so caught off-guard, he almost fell over. But when he realized that it was the Chief, he asked, "Can I help you?"

"I think it's high time you had a partner." the Chief replied.

"But Chief, I don't n-n-need a partner. I've been doing fine without one." Keswick said.

"Too late now. You're getting a partner, so you might as well deal with it." the Chief said.

"Fine. So, who's my p-p-partner?" Keswick asked.

"Hang on." the Chief said. He exited the lab and told somebody, "Get in there!"

When the Chief re-entered the lab, someone else was with him.

The someone was a female who looked a lot like a Keswick. She wore a white lab coat over a hot pink blouse, blue jeans, and plain, black shoes. On her right hand, she wore a mood ring (which was red now, meaning 'nervous'), and she also wore glasses that looked like Keswick's. Anyway, she was short (she's as tall as Keswick), thin, and her fur was cream-colored (just like Keswick's fur).

Keswick couldn't take his eyes off of her. She had to be one of the prettiest girls he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Keswick, say hello to your partner. Her name is Claire." the Chief said.

"Hi..." Keswick nervously said to Claire.

"Hello..." Claire replied, also nervous.

"Okay, I'll let you kids get to work." the Chief said, and he left the lab.

"So, what were you up to?" Claire asked her partner.

"I was l-l-labeling my stuff." Keswick said.

"Okay. I'll help ya." said Claire.

They got right to work, though Keswick couldn't help sneaking looks at Claire every chance he got. At one point, he noticed that the ring she wore changed from red to cerulean.

"Wow! I never saw a r-r-ring do that before!" Keswick exclaimed, going over to Claire so he could get a better look at her ring.

"It's a mood ring. It changes color with my mood. According to the mood chart, I'm feeling 'relaxed'." Claire explained.

"Nice." Keswick said. Then, realizing that they weren't getting anything done, he said, "Okay, let'sget back to w-w-work."

"Right." Claire smiled.

So Keswick got a partner, and it's none other than Claire! Maybe he'll find love with her. Maybe the title is a big give-away. Stay tuned for more!


	2. Already Friends

(A/N: In that last chapter, Keswick and Claire met and started working together, and they seemed to be getting along. I wonder if this will lead to them possibly finding love.)

By the end of the day, Keswick and Claire were fast friends, and Claire also became friends with Dudley, Kitty, Bruce, and Katrina (she met them during her break). When Keswick realized that it was time to go home, he asked Claire, "How did you get here, anyway?"

"I drove." Claire said.

"Uhh, would it be okay if I w-w-walked you out to your vehicle?" Keswick asked.

"Sure!" said Claire. Once they made it to the parking garage, it didn't take long for them to find Claire's mode of transportation: a hot pink motorcycle.

"Wow! You have a m-m-motorcycle?!" Keswick asked, impressed.

"Yup! Not only that, I made it myself." Claire grinned as she hopped on.

"Really?" Keswick asked.

"Of course!" Claire replied, putting on her helmet.

Without thinking, Keswick said, "You've got to be the most amazing woman I've ever l-l-laid eyes on!"

"Say what?!" Claire asked, just as she was about to start her motorcycle.

"Uhhhh, it's cool that you built that m-m-motorcycle by yourself..." Keswick replied, blushing as he averted his eyes.

"Oooooooookaaaaaay..." Claire said as she drove away.

After she left, Keswick went home, unable to believe what he just did. He hoped Claire didn't think he was insane, because his words pretty much proved that he was liking her as more than just a friend. Besides, she was the first female he knew that actually didn't mind being seen with him, and he liked that.

Meanwhile, Claire drove all the way to a big mansion and parked her motorcycle in the garage. Then she hopped off her motorcycle, took off her helmet, exited the garage, and entered the mansion (Claire's rich, and from a family of non-snobs).

"I'm ba-ack!" Claire called.

"How was your day?" Claire's mother asked as she went to greet her daughter with a hug.

"It was great! I got the job at T.U.F.F., and I made quite a few friends. I even have a partner, and he's a really sweet guy." Claire said.

"Sounds like you're having fun at your job, and I might want to meet this partner of yours." Claire's dad pointed out.

"I am having fun, and you would like him. He's one of the nicest people I've ever met." Claire said. Then she retreated to her room.

Once there, Claire thought about her partner, Keswick. If she didn't know better, she could've sworn he had feelings for her. Real feelings, because she knew that he had no idea that she was from a rich family. The thought of him liking her not for her fortune made her happy, since guys only fell for her because she was rich.

"If he really does love me, then he wouldn't mind the fact that I'm a rich girl. It's so annoying when people like me for that reason alone. For him to like me for me would be a big surprise, and a pleasant one." Claire said.

You might wanna stay tuned for the next chapter, for I have a feeling that their friendship might become something more!


	3. If I Fell

(A/N: Remember what I said at the end of the previous chapter? Now we're going to find out if I was right.)

It's been a month since Keswick and Claire started working together, and they're pretty close by now. Seeing how much they like each other, it's surprising they haven't fallen in love yet. But maybe today will be the day that they finally do fall in love with each other! Okay, that's it! Let's go to T.U.F.F. and check on those crazy kids!

At T.U.F.F., we find Keswick and Claire in the break room, having a polite conversation with Dudley, Kitty, Bruce, and Katrina. Everyone seems happy.

Keswick casually glanced over at Claire, and sighed dreamily.

 _"I still can't believe that Claire's my p-p-partner. She's a sweet girl, and so interesting and pretty... Hold the phone! Those things I just thought about her! Does that m-m-mean...? Oh boy, I think I've fallen in love with her! Yup! I have! But does she l-l-love me back? I think she does, but I don't have any evidence to help prove it..."_ Keswick thought.

Just then, Claire glanced at her mood ring, and what she saw made her gasp!

"Claire, what's wrong?" Keswick asked, having heard her gasp.

"My mood ring! Look!" Claire said, holding out her hand so he could see the ring.

"It's purple." Keswick pointed out.

"Why is she making a big deal about the color of her ring?" Dudley asked.

"My mood ring has _never_ been this color before. _Ever_." Claire said.

"Do you know what you're feeling when the ring is purple?" Kitty asked.

"I'll see what the chart says." Claire replied, pulling the mood chart out of her pocket. In about 3 seconds, she found the answer.

"That can't be right!" Claire exclaimed.

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

"The chart says that when the ring is purple, I'm feeling romantic!" Claire explained.

"Say _what_?!" Keswick asked.

"I said, my ring is telling me that I'm feeling romantic!" Claire said.

"Really?! Who's the lucky guy?!" Katrina asked.

"I don't know..." Claire groaned.

"Well, it can't be me or Dudley. We're already married to the prettiest women in Petropolis." Bruce said.

"Maybe it's Keswick." Dudley said.

"What's me?" Keswick asked. He'd been focusing on Claire too much to hear what was said.

"It's possible that Claire fell in love with you." Dudley said. Then he looked to Claire and asked, "Are you?"

"Am I what?" Claire asked.

"In love with Keswick?" Dudley asked.

"Yes." Claire answered without hesitation.

"Really?" Keswick asked.

"Yeah..." Claire replied, smiling shyly.

"All right!" Keswick cheered.

Claire gave him a look, and that's when Keswick told her, "I l-l-love you, too, Claire."

"You do?!" Claire asked, eyes wide behind her glasses.

"That's right." Keswick said.

"Ohhh, I'm lucky to have a sweet guy like you in my life!" Claire said as she gave Keswick a big hug. Keswick grinned and returned the hug, feeling like the luckiest Keswick alive.

"Ah, l'amour." Katrina sighed as she watched the new young couple hold each other.

Awwww! Keswick and Claire are in love! Isn't that great?! Well, not quite. There may be a problem coming, so stay tuned!


	4. Heartbreak

(A/N: Some of you might remember this story. It was "Keswick's Bad Choice", but I'm turning it into part of this "Keswick & Claire" re-write. Hope you enjoy.)

It was autumn in the city of Petropolis. The leaves had changed colors as they fell off the trees, and the weather was cool. Yes, it's a pretty sight, but we're supposed to be at T.U.F.F. right now, so let's get a move on!

At T.U.F.F., all the agents have shown up for work, and they're doing their jobs. Even Keswick and Claire are working. Hey, those two kids fell in love not so long ago, so let's stick around and see how they're doing.

"Claire, there's s-s-something I have to tell you." Keswick said to his partner/girlfriend.

"I'm listening." Claire said.

"I d-d-don't think we should... see each other anymore." Keswick said. He sounded as though he really didn't want to say it.

"W-What?! Why?" Claire asked, shocked that her boyfriend would say such a thing.

"I've been in relationships before, and they n-n-never lasted long." Keswick told her.

"Why's that?" Claire asked. Keswick realized that he had no answer for that one, and all he could do was shrug his shoulders.

"Keswick, I know we haven't been together very long, but I do know that you're unlike any other guy I've ever known. In fact, you're much better than them, because they didn't love me for who I am. Do you know how hard it is to find a guy who loves a girl for who she is? It's not at all easy, I'll tell you that! If you even think that you were the problem in all those past relationships, think again!" Claire told him.

"Even so, we c-c-can't continue our relationship." Keswick said.

"But I love you so much. How can you say such a thing?" Claire asked, tears in her eyes.

"If those didn't w-w-work out, then there's a good chance that this one won't work, either." Keswick said.

Claire looked at her watch and said, "Oh, would you look at that? It's time for my break. I'll be in the break room." Then she slowly made her way to the break room, trying to hold back the tears.

Claire entered the break room to find that Kitty and Katrina were already there, apparently on their breaks. When they saw Claire enter, they were happy to see her, but seeing how upset she was worried them.

"Oh my gosh! Claire, what's the matter?" Katrina asked, hurrying to the unhappy girl's side.

"What happened?" Kitty asked, also hurrying over.

"Keswick doesn't love me anymore!" Claire said, bursting into tears.

"He _what_?! That's impossible!" Katrina said.

"His past relationships all failed, and so he's afraid to continue this one! How can he do this to me?! I love him more than my own life!" Claire sobbed.

"Well, his reason to break up with you is stupid, especially since he's got you, a girl who really loves him. I'll bet it's something he'd rather not say." Kitty said.

"So let's find out." said Katrina.

"I don't think he'll tell us. But maybe he'll tell Dudley and Bruce." Kitty said.

"Good idea." said Katrina. She was about to head out into the main office when Jerkbait appeared.

"Oh no! What are you doing here?!" Katrina asked.

"Well, I _was_ here to try and claim either you or your sister, but not anymore." said Jerkbait.

"So you were just leaving?" Kitty asked.

"Almost." Jerkbait said, and he grabbed the miserable Claire.

"NO! NOT YOU! LET ME GO!" Claire screamed, more upset than she had been.

"You jerk! Let her go!" Kitty ordered.

"No! She's the richest girl in Petropolis, and I'm going to have her as my wife!" Jerkbait said as he left with a protesting Claire in tow.

However, Claire's screams caught Dudley, Bruce, and Keswick's attention, but they hadn't been able to stop Jerkbait from exiting the building with her. And when Keswick saw how miserable Claire looked, he felt like kicking himself for making her that unhappy in the first place. But first, he had to find out why Jerkbait had her in his clutches.

"Kitty! Katrina! What does Jerkbait w-w-want with Claire?" Keswick asked, running up to the twins with Dudley and Bruce right behind him.

"I thought you broke up with Claire." Katrina said.

"Keswick! _You broke up with Claire_?! Why would you do that?!" Bruce shouted.

"Claire told us that Keswick was scared of continuing this relationship because all his past relationships failed." Kitty said.

"But this one couldn't fail! Claire really loves him, and he made her ring turn purple." Dudley said.

"So it's obviously something else that caused him to break up with her." Katrina said.

"Why did you break up with Claire?! Tell us the truth!" Bruce said, and from the tone of his voice, you could tell he meant business.

Keswick will tell them in the next chapter, so stay tuned if you wish to find out!


	5. Not Letting Go

(A/N: Now that the next chapter is here, we'll find out why Keswick broke up with Claire. I'll get this show on the road!)

Nervously, Keswick replied, "The real reason is my m-m-mom. She's destroyed every r-r-relationship I've ever had. I had thoughts of not telling her, but I can't keep Claire a s-s-secret forever. Mom will eventually find out, and then I'll l-l-lose Claire."

"Keswick, you can't let that stop you from loving Claire. If your mom isn't happy with you being in a relationship, that's _her_ problem." Dudley said.

Keswick thought about it, and he said, "You know something? You're r-r-right!"

"Do you want to continue your relationship with Claire?" Bruce asked.

"Yes!" Keswick said. Then he remembered what happened and said, "So why did Jerkbait go after her, anyway?"

"Claire's obviously rich, and Jerkbait's kidnapping her so he can marry her and get his paws on her fortune." Kitty said.

"Claire's rich? I didn't know that." Keswick said to himself. But then he said, "That's not important. I've got to go s-s-save her."

"But how are we going to get Jerkbait to let go of a rich girl?" Katrina asked. It didn't take long for Keswick to come up with a plan.

 **Later...**

Jerkbait was dragging a very reluctant Claire down the aisle of some chapel, trying to marry her. Claire, however, was in no mood to get married. Things only got worse when Jerkbait tricked Claire into saying, "I do." Now she was even more miserable, because she, Jerkbait, and the priest were the only people in the chapel, and there's no way the priest would ask if anyone objected.

"If anyone here objects to this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace." the priest said.

"Huh?" Claire said. She was more than certain that he wouldn't ask that question. Either the priest sensed her misery, or they weren't alone.

"What are you saying?! There's nobody here besides us!" Jerkbait said.

"I OBJECT!" came a familiar voice, and they looked to see Keswick standing there with a determined look on his face.

"Keswick?" Claire asked herself.

"Jerkbait, are you really s-s-sure you want to marry Claire?" Keswick asked.

"She's the richest girl in the whole city, and I'm going to marry her!" Jerkbait said.

"Actually, there's someone a lot richer than she is." Kitty said, stepping into view.

"Who?" Jerkbait and Claire asked.

Suddenly, a very pretty cat woman came out and wolf-whistled at Jerkbait.

"Well, who are you?" Jerkbait asked, looking interested.

"I'm the richest woman in Petropolis. Heck, I'm richer than that girl you seem so attached to." the woman said.

"How rich is that?" Jerkbait asked.

"Rich enough to buy the universe." the woman replied.

That was all Jerkbait needed to hear. He let go of Claire and went straight for this woman. Claire, relieved, ran over to Kitty and saw that Dudley, Bruce, and Katrina were with her and Keswick.

"Who is that?" Claire asked them, referring to the woman.

"You'll see in a moment." Bruce told her.

Jerkbait kissed the woman, and she turned into a missile.

"What the-?!" Jerkbait gasped.

"So long, jerk!" Keswick said, and he pushed a button on a remote control, causing the missile to go flying out of the chapel and into Petropolis Prison.

Now that Jerkbait was gone, the group exited the chapel.

"Keswick made a missile disguised as a robot that looked like a rich girl?" Claire asked.

"I did that because there was n-n-no way Jerkbait would let go of you unless he met someone with more money. So I built that r-r-robot to trick him into letting you go." Keswick said.

"If you did that to help me, then..." Claire realized what Keswick had done.

"I n-n-never wanted to end our relationship." Keswick said.

"If you didn't want to, then why did you?" Claire asked.

Keswick told her what he told everyone else.

"But I really do love you. I didn't want to r-r-risk losing you the way I lost almost all of my relationships." Keswick said, and he took Claire's hands in his own, assuring her that he still wanted her in his life.

"Oh. Well, it's not up to your mom to decide whether or not you should be in a relationship. The choice is yours, meaning she has no say in the matter. However, if it's a bad person and she knows it, I can understand that. But still, you can't let her ruin what we have." Claire told him.

"I won't let her ruin the l-l-love we have for each other." said Keswick, and he pulled Claire into a hug.

"I love you. You know that, don't you?" Claire asked him as she returned the hug.

"Yes. But I l-l-love you more." Keswick responded before he and Claire shared a passionate kiss (their first kiss, too), indicating that they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Awwww!" said Dudley, Kitty, Bruce, and Katrina, happy that the geniuses were back together.

It's so sweet that Keswick and Claire are back together, but the story still isn't done. We've still got one more chapter to go. Stay tuned to see what happens next!


	6. Problem Solved!

(A/N: Alright, I think you should remember part of this as "Love Problem". This should be the final chapter of the story! Let's see what's going to happen now that Keswick and Claire are back together!)

That evening, when everyone got off work, Keswick followed Claire to her parents' mansion, and Claire's parents were happy to meet Keswick. However, they weren't too happy when they found out that Keswick broke up with their daughter earlier that day, and his reason for having done so shocked them. But still, they were happy that Keswick really did love Claire and would never hurt her again, especially since they were back together again.

"It seems like your mother has a problem with you being happy." Claire's mom said to Keswick.

"She could s-s-single-handedly take down Valentine's Day." Keswick told her.

"Then we need to do something about her." Claire's dad said.

"What are you going to d-d-do about my mom?" Keswick asked.

"We're going to talk some sense into her." Claire's mom said.

"You are?" Keswick asked.

"My parents know how to talk sense into people. If anyone can get your mom to not interfere with our relationship, it's them." Claire said.

"I just hope they know how." Keswick said.

"They do." Claire said.

Although Keswick didn't believe Claire, he called his parents and asked for them to visit him that weekend.

That weekend, when Keswick's parents (reluctantly) showed up, Keswick told them, "Now that you're here, let's g-g-go."

"Where are we going?" Keswick's dad asked.

"We're going to Claire's house." Keswick replied.

"Claire? Who's Claire?" Keswick's mom asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to f-f-find out." was Keswick's reply.

"You'd better not tell me that this 'Claire' is your girlfriend. You can't possibly be in a relationship, because you're an embarrassment and a failure." Keswick's mom said.

Keswick didn't say anything. He was silent during the drive to Claire's mansion. And when Keswick parked the car, Keswick's dad looked at the mansion and said, "Wow! Claire's rich?"

"Yes, but even if she wasn't, I'd still love her because she makes me feel like I'm w-w-worth something, unlike _someone_ I know." Keswick said as he rang the doorbell.

In two seconds, somebody opened the door, and it was none other than Claire.

"Keswick!" Claire chirped, happy to see her sweetheart.

"Hi, Claire." Keswick said, greeting Claire with a hug.

"A- _hem_!" Keswick's mother said, looking very displeased with the young couple.

"Leave them be." Keswick's dad said to his wife, kind of impressed that Keswick and Claire seemed to really love each other.

"Mom! Dad! Keswick's here, and so are his parents!" Claire yelled. Like magic, Claire's parents came over and let Keswick's parents in.

After introductions were made, everyone gathered around in the living room, with Keswick holding Claire's hand, concentrating on the purple of her mood ring.

" _Claire says that I'm the only one who m-m-makes her ring that color. Man, I love her so_ much." Keswick thought, feeling lucky to have Claire in his life.

"Keswick has hinted that you have a problem with him being in relationships." Claire's mom said to Keswick's mom.

"Well, I don't see why your daughter wants to be in a relationship. They're a lot of work, and you have to cook and clean, and before you know it, you'll lose your girlish figure." Keswick's mom replied.

"So?" Claire said, rolling her eyes. She knew that Keswick loved her for who she was; not for how she looked, and certainly not for her wealth.

"I don't care about l-l-looks. I love Claire for the girl she is, and nothing will ever stop me from loving her." Keswick said, hugging Claire tightly. It was obvious that he was worried about losing her forever.

"And Keswick's the first real love I've ever had." Claire said.

"An embarrassment and a failure like him?" Keswick's mom asked.

"Stuff it, woman!" Keswick and Claire snapped.

"Your son is the first guy who fell in love with Claire for who she is." Claire's mom pointed out.

"And he's the only person who makes my mood ring turn purple." Claire put in. To prove her point, she held out her hand, and her mood ring was purple with passion.

"It's true. I'm the f-f-first and only person to make it turn purple." Keswick replied, giving Claire a loving look.

"And I love you so much." Claire said as she and Keswick shared a kiss.

"See how happy they are together? I haven't seen Claire this happy in a long time. And as long as she's happy, her mother and I are happy." Claire's dad said.

"When you're a parent, your child's happiness should matter the most." Claire's mom added.

"You're right. I'm going to stop bugging him about his not being a doctor." Keswick's dad said.

"You were bugging the boy about the job he has?! It's his choice! Let him decide what he wants to do in life as long as it's good! And given that he's inventing stuff that can help secret agents take down bad guys, that's good." Claire's dad said.

"We should let it go. How about it?" Keswick's dad asked his wife.

Keswick's mom had been watching her son and Claire, and she realized that Claire's parents were right. Keswick and Claire really did look happy together, and she did want Keswick to be happy. And so...

"You're right." Keswick's mom said.

"We are?" Claire's parents asked.

"I _do_ want him to be happy." Keswick's mom said. Then she turned to Keswick and told him, "Seeing how much you love Claire, and how happy she makes you, I'm not going to interfere."

"And to top it all off, we'll stop bugging you about the fact that you decided not to be a doctor." Keswick's dad said.

"YAY!" Keswick and Claire cheered, and then they shared a passionate kiss. Their relationship was no longer in danger, Keswick was no longer bugged about the job he picked, and he was finally loved.

The End

A happy end for the young genius couple. Don't you just love happy endings? I hope you enjoyed this story!


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